KoalaJ Reviews: Arashi No Yoru Ni
by KoalaJ
Summary: The first review in my planned anime trilogy, the rest will be uploaded in the next week or so. For now, enjoy my review of Arashi No Yoru Ni (One Stormy Night).


**Here we go, Cuteuala's (cute and koala, get it?) the first review in my planned anime trilogy, Arashi No Yoru Ni (One Stormy Night). Enjoy guys!**

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><p>First of all, because of this movie I fell back in love with anime. Because of this, I found You Are Umasou, Wolf Children and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and I'm thankful for it.<p>

Now, there are a lot of movies with two people wanting to be together but can't, and there are quite a few anime movies with the same theme. But Arashi No Yoru Ni takes the cake and adds its own layer to it.

I love how instant the friendship between Gabu (the wolf) and Mei (the goat) is formed, after they meet in a barn on one stormy night without knowing what each others species is. I love how they immediately had a connection because of that.

The film opens with Mei as a kid, in a field with his mother, until they are chased by wolves. In a struggle, while Mei runs away, his mother is killed and eaten by the wolves, but manages to bite one of the wolves ear off and injure his eye. (That is one mama bear- I mean, goat!)

So after Mei and Gabu meet for the first time and have lunch together (though Gabu loses his, and almost goes nuts trying to resist eating Mei) we see the main 'villain' of the movie, Giro, the wolf who Mei's mother injured and who is now out for revenge against goats.

I would say he's not technically a villain, since a wolf going after goats is normal, but in this movie it's taken up to eleven.

So Mei and Gabu are eventually made to separate, but are then forced to trick each other into revealing where wolves hunt or where goats graze. They meet at a river, which is brown for...some reason (gross...), and decide they can't deceive each other. So instead, they jump into the river to get away from the wolves, so they can be together, and after a scare or two decide to head to a huge mountain, after convincing themselves that there is a 'Green Forest' on the other side.

Then it becomes absolutely TEARJERKING, and I won't go into much detail for spoilers, but Mei offers himself as food to Gabu as they hide in a cave from the blizzard outside. After a heart wrenching back and forth between them, Gabu goes out to prepare, deciding the best way to eat Mei would be to just go outside, come in and go for it.

But the wolves, who were chasing them the whole time, find Gabu and after reminding himself of what Mei said to him 'I'm glad to have made a friend I would risk my life for', Gabu goes out to fight Giro and the others.

But an avalanche is triggered, and Gabu and the rest of the wolves are caught up in it.

Mei eventually finds the forest, but not Gabu.

I won't mention anymore in case of spoilers, but I hope if you end up watching it I haven't given too much away.

So, now for my usual way of reviewing things:

Animation: I'll be honest, there is actually some gorgeous animation in this movie. The backgrounds, at least, are worth looking at in detail, and I think how the characters are designed, with the occasion wisp of fur sticking out and the kind of scruffy coats for the wolves, and the fluffy fur and big eyes of the goats, are actually kind of cool and cute respectively. Parts that stand out are after Mei and Gabu get away from the wolves by jumping into the river, and are stood on a mountain. The scenery porn in this part is stunning, the sight of Chomping Gorges (where the wolves live) and the fields where the goats live are actually kind of pretty.

Music: Dear Lord, there is some beautiful music here. The first I'll go into is where Mei finds the Green Forest, the music is called 'Great Nature' a rising track including some nice string instrumentals. It really cheers you up after he finds it. The second is called 'Our Parting Meal', and Lord, it is precious. It plays in the scene where Mei offers himself as food to Gabu, and really makes you feel for the poor wolf ('why did I have to be born a WOLF?!') it's really worth a listen to. The third is the ending song, 'Star' by Aiko, and it is just great. The lyrics, if you have a DVD with english subs like I do, or if you have the english subs anyway, are actually pretty sweet ('telling me you love me with all your heart', D'aww!).

Everything Else: There is some violence in this movie, I'll just warn you. (Dont watch the first minute if you're squeamish, trust me)

Really, its actually a really well done movie, especially with the theme it has, and the book it was based off (a picture book) sure did a good job of inspiring this adaptation.

The fact that its two male characters as well, without the needless boy/girl romance we've always had, adds a certain sweetness to it that only this film can achieve. The immediate friendship that Gabu and Mei form is actually pretty heartwarming, and the fact that their driving goal in the movie is to 'watch the moon rise' is pretty darn sweet.

So yes, it is a sweet film about the friendship between a Wolf and a Goat, and yes, there is some nice animation and actually glorious music included.

Overall, a movie that can tell a sweet story and leave you in tears at the end.


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